Trump refuses to condemn town-hall Muslim flap

Donald Trump refused on Sunday to condemn the recent statement of a supporter who said Muslims are a “problem” for the United States, asking CNN’s Jake Tapper, “Are you trying to say we don’t have a problem?”

Trump’s defense of the latest statement to embroil him in controversy came as he fends off a challenge from devout evangelical Ben Carson and as a new CNN poll showed him holding onto first place in the race for the Republican presidential nomination but with diminished support. Carly Fiorina was second and Carson third.

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“We could be politically correct if you want,” Trump said on CNN's "State of the Union," adding: “It wasn’t people from Sweden that blew up the World Trade Center, Jake.”

On ABC’s "This Week," Trump elaborated, “There is a problem with certain militants that, obviously, you report on every night on your newscasts. But there is a problem with militancy, and it is something that is going to have to be solved.”

At a Thursday town hall in New Hampshire, a questioner in a Trump campaign T-shirt said, "We have a problem in this country, it’s called Muslims. Our current president is one. We know he’s not even an American. We have training camps growing where they want to kill us. That’s my question, when can we get rid of them?”

Trump responded, “A lot of people are saying that and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there. We’re going to be looking at that and a lot of different things.”

Trump also discussed a couple of world leaders on Sunday.

Asked about reports that he might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly later this month, Trump told "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos, “I had heard that he wanted to meet with me. And certainly I am open to it. I would love to do that if he wants to do that. I don't know that it's going to take place. I'm not sure. I know that people have been talking. But we'll see what happens. But certainly, if he wanted to meet, I mean, I'd enjoy doing it.”

Talking about how he would approach foreign relations and his dealings with Putin, Trump said, “Life is a big fat very high-level chess game.”

He also had vague praise for Pope Francis, saying he doesn't believe the pope would disapprove of him personally, despite Trump’s ostentatious wealth and Francis’ outspoken criticism of greed and global capitalism.

“I think if he knew me, I think he'd like me,” Trump said. “If he doesn't know me, perhaps he wouldn't. But if he knew me, I think he'd probably like me. He's a little bit of a different kind of a pope. There's no question about it. He's taken on some pretty big political subjects like climate change. And it's very interesting. But he's got a certain way about him that's very unique and very nice.”

Trump also defended his denial at Wednesday’s Republican debate of Jeb Bush’s assertion that Trump tried to get the former governor to expand gambling in Florida after hosting a fundraiser for Bush’s gubernatorial campaign.

Trump said that because he never personally called Bush on the matter, he considers his denial accurate. “I never pushed for gambling in the sense that I never called him," Trump explained. "Had I called him, I think he would’ve done it.”